RACE 1 – (4) AMERICAN MERCURY was well backed for his first start in 3 months and came up 2
nd best to a sharp repeat winner – seems the logical selection tonight as he figures to be that much tighter with the start under his
belt – but he also figures to be very heavily backed! (1) QUALITY BUD was under some wild urging for much of
the mile last week but still gave way to pressure and wired – he could race a lot better tonight if Dube handles him a
bit more realistically. (3) PURPLE POET was shuffled last week but also a little bit dull – his overall form has been
solid all year, and he COULD bounce back with a sharper try tonight – use underneath. (2) ULTIMAROCA was a
front end winner in his first local start of ’24 but quickly reverted to his lesser, more erratic form – he did pick up a
2nd last week, and the good draw gives him a chance at another good piece tonight. (6) OCEAN RIDGE N won 17X
last year but he’s off to a much slower start in 2024, with only one victory so far – the class drop can only help, but
the bad draw may offset that – we’ll see if the switch to Bartlett (for whom he won this year) can wake him up a bit
(5) WALKINSHAW N drops a peg for his 2nd start off the layoff but he may still need another start. (7) BELMONT
MAJOR N lands the worst draw for his YR return and he was 10-0-0-1 locally in 2022-23.
RACE 2 – (5) ADAM TWELVE is an amazing 14-8-6-0 since arriving at Yonkers and a couple of those recent
(excellent) 2nds were behind the likes of SIMON SAYS HANOVER and the currently raging BOLING OAR –
clearly the one to beat in this compact, age-restricted field. (2) BRUE HANOVER is a talented horse but got a (very
rare!) bad steer from Gingras last week and it spoiled his 2024 return – could rebound with a much better mile here
with a better trip. (4) OAKWOOD PADDY IR shipped in razor sharp form NJ but sealed his fate last week when he
yielded to NIGHT HAWK and let that one cut an uncontested pace– should be a solid player again tonight. (1)
ROCK THE BELLES will probably be tighter with the 2 starts under his belt but still may not be ready to take on
the top ones in here. (3) PANETTONE HANOVER is a lot sharper (and smoother) than he was not too long ago but
lost any real chance last week with a slow start from the pole – could be in for a tough trip tonight, as well.
RACE 3 – (3) WISTERIA HANOVER is the reluctant selection in this very modest field – any of her better efforts
would probably be enough to handle these, but she’s prone to clunkers and she’s just 2 for 33 lifetime – still, the
“most likely” to come out on top. (2) FULL SCALE seems next in line, and HE sports a career slate of 1 for 29 – he
did come close to winning here twice, last fall. (4) ENERGY KING was a (very) dull 4th here last week in his 2nd
start of the year – it’s too soon to write him off, but it would also be hard to take a pretty short price on top. (1) A
MAJORSMACKIN showed little ever since arriving from the Midwest and he made a break last week upon moving
to a new barn – the rail seems like his best (only?) asset right now. (6) TO MY CREDIT is 5-0-0-0 here this year
after going just 9-0-0-2 in 2023...and he lands outside. (5) AIRBORNE goes for a new barn, is racing off a sick
scratch and also removing the trotting hopples.
RACE 4 – (3) THE BALLYKEEL DEAL had to back off from leaving in his local debut, ended up with a horrible
trip and still wasn’t beaten all that badly – took plenty of $$ for his next start, was handled aggressively and came up
a good 2nd best to the solid winner (ENOLA) – gets another good draw, and gets the slight edge for tonight. (2) CAS
SIUS HANOVER has raced well in all 7 local starts but note that his only win came when Lachance was off for a
couple of weeks– he was hurt when off to a needlessly slow start last week and we’ll see if he has better luck reeling
in the top choice tonight. (1) I GOT THE TAB failed when trying to cut the mile 2 back but that mile is sandwiched
between a pair of solid 2nds – he won here 3X last year, and looms the other main danger for tonight. (4) TOMBST
ONE hasn’t been “bad”, but he does seem a bit off his best game at the moment – willing to use him underneath in
exotics (5) DARK MIND was a winner adding Lasix 3 back, got trapped with no chance to trot in his next but broke
while sitting nicely in 3rd last week – he’s a little tough to predict right now! (6) ENERGYSOURCE rallied a bit for
3rd in his first start of the year but wasn’t up for the aggressive speed try that followed – guessing he’ll be looking to
rally again tonight, and that may lead to a small piece. (7) CANDY BOMBER draws poorly after a weak try in last.
RACE 5 – (3) KOMODO BEACH took lots of money from Post 8 two back (barn change) but never got into the
race – took even MORE money from Post 8 last week and this time he shot right to the top, winning very easily in a
sharp 1:53 mile...hard to go past him tonight, especially with the move inside. (4) GAMBLINGTERROR can be a
bit tough to predict from week to week but he’s one of several in here with a chance to do some damage IF things go
their way. (2) VIVA LAS VEGAS N has missed some time and his current form is a little hard to gauge...but he’s
held his own with better in the past, and may be able to add some value to the exotics. (7) DELIGHTFUL DUDE N
was a bit in and out to close out 2023 – he qualified back nicely at PcD, and had an encouraging first start of ’24 as
well – may be able to grab a good piece, even from out here. (5) LEVINE has missed 23 days after a sick scratch
and was coming up a bit light at the end of his miles prior to that – could be a bit vulnerable tonight. (8) VENIER
HANOVER raced well in 3 of his last 4 starts, and got too revved up in the other – he faces a long haul from out
here, but may still be able to outrace that generous 20-1 ML price. (1) HES SPECIAL has a couple of “ok” tries so
far in 2024 – the good draw could keep him close enough for a minor piece. (6) RJ SPORTS IMAGE has really gone
south recently – will need a complete form reversal for his new connections to be a serious player here.
RACE 6 – (1) WISHYOUWEREMINE wasn’t particularly impressive in a handful of 2YO outings and her 3YO
return qualifier (in Florida) is hard to gauge – she does land in a field with nothing too scary in it, and may be worth
a stab right out of the box for her top notch connections. (4) FREAKY was 2 for 2 at Dover to start her career and
extended that streak to 3 with a win here at Yonkers...she wasn’t overly impressive, however, and there may be
some value taking a stab against her (at a very short price) tonight. (2) NIRVANA HANOVER has yet to really perk
up since recently joining our leading barn but she moves back inside and if ever there was a spot for a wake up call,
this would be it. (3) NEITHER DO I worked out a perfect trip last week but found only even pace in the lane – will
need to be better if she hopes to threaten for the top spot. (7) OAKWOOD DYNASTY IR was sent off at 4/5 for her
U.S. debut and tired badly from the pocket – she added Lasix last week and the results really weren’t much better –
the Lasix comes off for tonight, and she lands all the way outside – would need to be a pretty big price to get our
attention. (5) GANDY DANCER was hard to gauge off her 2024 local debut but she failed to build off that start at
all – another in need of improvement in order to be a player. (6) FANSBABY would be hard to recommend off that
series of qualifiers.
RACE 7 – (6) SOUTHWIND ONYX has been good lately and now debuts for another new barn – he has the speed
to get a good start (and a good trip), and that 8-1 ML price makes him pretty attractive. (7) DAAMERICANSKY
has been very good here lately, picking up a win, 2nd, and 3rd from his last 3 starts – he has more than enough speed
to overcome the bad draw, but the top choice just seems to be offering more value for the top slot. (3) LIBERTY N
FREEDOM has some mixed starts since returning from the layoff – he draws well returning from PcD, and a live
trip could help him land a share. (2) PRIVATE SCOTT ships in for possibly the hottest barn in the northeast right
now, but he just raced 4 days ago and was on a line pretty hard that night – may get a bit overbet for his YR debut.
(4) MACHLICIOUS really should have been 3rd last week but he has enough decent efforts recently not to judge that
start too harshly – remains a decent one to include for 3rd/4th. (5) ATLANTIS drops back down to 15s after a
disappointing try last week for his new barn – may be vulnerable (again) at a short price. (1) MAJESTIC KIWI N
rallied well late to nip #4 for 3rd last time but he’s way too unreliable to just assume that he’ll race well tonight –
another candidate for a small slice. (8) ART SCENE took a LOT of $$ last week (off the barn change?) but couldn’t
sustain his move at all after rallying into 2nd and faded to 5th – won’t be any easier now starting from Post 8.
RACE 8 – (1) MYCROWNMYKINGDOM was very sharp in each of his last pair, his barn is on a good roll and he
moves all the way inside – worth a try tonight as he looks to pull off a mild upset. (2) BONTONI DEGATO S
struggled for a couple of starts after leaving our leading barn but he’s got his act together now and brings a 2 race
winning streak into tonight – legitimate chance to extend that streak to three. (3) YOU GOT IT was no threat last
start but he gets some post relief and that should keep him closer to the action – use in exotics. (4) DYLADMAR
ships in off a couple of big track tighteners and showed last year that he can navigate the half-miler just fine – he
may be a good fit with the locals, with a chance to land somewhere on the ticket. (7) ENOLA was a solid 7 hole
winner last week but steps up to face a much tougher group now – may have a much tougher time having the same
success vs. these. (5) CAL MILES N SHELL handled much easier last week but is likely looking at just a minor
piece against this better bunch. (6) FIX A DRINK got rough off turn three last start and faded from there – he’s
missed 3 weeks since then, and that has us leaning elsewhere. (8) DIAMANTE TRIO IT gets a pass for her last as
she drew outside off a month – drops right back in the box, but the draw is an issue once more.
RACE 9 – (4) ROCK MY SOCKS made nearly $100K at 2 then had another good year at 3, banking another $75K
–she catches a modest field for her 4YO return, and we’ll look for her to be ready right off the bench. (2) HUNTING
LINDY won 2 of her 3 starts here at the end of last year then returned sharp in ‘24, picking up a 2nd and a 3
rd behind a good looking winner – could be the main danger. (1) COALFORDSNSHINE GB was a strong 17-4-7-1 here last
year then went on the shelf for 4 months after a Saratoga sick scratch on 11/6 – her return qualifier (in NJ, on Lasix)
looked solid, but she tired badly on the lead when favored for her first start – she’s a bit of a question mark returning
to YR off that disappointing try. (8) CLEAR THE WAY lands in yet another awful spot but she’s still not a bad
bomb for 3rd/4th. (7) CANNERY ROW offered only mild pace last week into a slow final quarter (and mile) – may
have trouble getting into the hunt from out here. (5) SHOWMEMAGIC has 7 thirds from her 20 local starts but still
has never been 1st or 2nd – minor share only. (3) LAZIN ON THE BEACH still feels a little bit cheaper. (6) JAVA
was way up the track in her last qualifier after a sick scratch and barn change.
RACE 10 – (2) IMABEACHBOY was a winner in this class 3 back, had no prayer in his next but put in a BIG
move from the back last week to pick up 2nd to a runaway winner – he hails for a barn that’s been on fire at multiple
tracks, and looms the one to beat tonight. (1) CAMPORA N got brutally parked from Post 7 last week but the move
inside should help him secure a much easier trip – belongs in your exotics tonight. (3) LYONS PRIDE used an easy
trip to grab 4th last week but is now 10-0-0-0 here at YR – maybe he can break that schneid and grab a board spot
tonight? (7) MISTER SPOT A took $$ last week after an improved try the week before...but he ended up tiring
badly after securing a 2 hole trip – he’ll likely be ignored in the wagering tonight, and may not be a bad bomb to try
to sneak onto the ticket. (8) MINGO JOEL may be quietly improving a bit but another 8 hole may leave him waiting
for a better spot. (6) SPORTSKEEPER moves to a new (sharp) barn upon arrival from Buffalo but his previous
trainer has been winning at nearly a 25% clip, and used to win at an even higher rate at Monticello – not sure how
much room for improvement there is. (4) PROVOCATIVEPRINCE N does his best work on/near the lead and that
may not be a possibility tonight. (5) MAGRITTE just hasn’t been sharp in some time.
RACE 11 – (6) TWIN B FIGHTER steps up from 15 to 20s seeking his 4th in a row – seems sharp enough for a
chance to pull it off. (8) CAPTAIN T HANOVER is 8-3-3-2 here this year and the former barnmate to the top choice
goes for new connections tonight – he should be a decent price tonight, and deserves a look in his current form. (4)
IM J BEE N beat the 15s four in a row but hasn’t been quite as effective in his 2 starts at the $20K level – he’s also
off a sick scratch, so insist on a decent price if considering on top tonight. (3) MISSILE SEELSTER gets a good
draw and may be a little better right now than his lines might suggest could add some value to the exotics. (1) BRUS
HING UP figures to attract some $$ in this spot but he really hasn’t been that great – seems like there’s better value
with others. (2) KEYSTONE DASH finally gets a decent draw after 3 no-chance 7 holes – we’ll see if he can have a
bigger say this week. (5) STOP STARING was a no-threat 2nd to #8 last week after sitting the pocket – he can
certainly grab a nice piece with a good trip, but he’s another that may end up overbet. (7) DA GHETTO WIZARD
will need plenty of magic to find a way into the hunt from this spot.